The Bicycle Thread.

[shane_3800]

Well I checked the Health & Fitness forums and got to 2016 and there's nothing specific about bicycles so I decided to start a thread.

So I've Ironically started riding my bike I bought while I wasn't allowed to drive and now I'm driving I'm riding it.....
So seeing as I'm still a noob when it comes to bikes I thought maybe there's people that can not only help me but others.


So I have a road bike atm running a Shimano Sora groupset I changed wheels to Shimano R501's with GP5000's and added Dura Ace rim pads to the Sora calipers and it stops good and shifts great.

I'm looking at getting a gravel bike because the crap bike paths and crap roads where I live are taking little nips out of my $70 each tyres, which run awsome btw.
So I've been looking at gravel bikes and don't know if I should go for a 1x or a 2x group set. I'm looking at spending about 2k on my next bike and have seen I can either get Shimano 105, Shimano GRX or the SRAM GRX equivalent (I forget what it's called)
Will stepping down from those groupsets to a cable disc brake be a mistake? Should I go a SRAM 1x 12 groupset? Or should I just get a hard tail moutain bike?
Most of my riding will be on bike paths and proper dirt roads where I will be better using drop bars.

Any insights will be appreciated.

 

[shane_3800]

Also I heard on my 9 speed Sora chain set I can run an 11 speed chain? Anyone done this?

 

[Derekthetree]

I've also been looking at a gravel bike, but stock is rarer than rocking horse doodah.

I'm not much of a cyclist though, just after a casual, decent weekend bike.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Is this thread for fat old dudes on bikes? I'm in!

 

[Immortality]

**** I love looking at fancy bikes. My ride is a 25yo bike that originally belonged to my little brother. Was an expensive bike in it's day for a kid. It's not the lightest bike, the rims are old and buckled that I need to keep fixing, no fancy brakes. Started life off as a 21 speed but now only has 7 and creaks and groans when you ride it but it's fast (and lethal in the wet on a semi-slick tire).

Sadly, we have a really great park not more than a few minutes from my place with awesome riding trails but my bike simply won't go off road.

 

[shane_3800]

**** I love looking at fancy bikes. My ride is a 25yo bike that originally belonged to my little brother. Was an expensive bike in it's day for a kid. It's not the lightest bike, the rims are old and buckled that I need to keep fixing, no fancy brakes. Started life off as a 21 speed but now only has 7 and creaks and groans when you ride it but it's fast (and lethal in the wet on a semi-slick tire).

Sadly, we have a really great park not more than a few minutes from my place with awesome riding trails but my bike simply won't go off road.

Time fot a gravel bike.

 

[figjam]

Is this thread for fat old dudes on bikes? I'm in!

I'm out. 'Coz something about power to weight ratio.

 

[Drawnnite]

Is this thread for fat old dudes on bikes? I'm in!

Guess I'm out then by not fitting the Curly Bar or Lycra requirements
Still riding what most would consider kids bikes, I grew older, not up.

To answer Shanes original Q.
Look at the range across the 1x and 2x in terms of gear spread, keeping in mind if you have a 2x you wont actually use the whole rear casette so a 2x11 for example is more like a 2x7.
If it were me I'd be going a 1x setup for less moving parts with a wide range rear casette.
But you also need to consider how much you realisitically want to pump into an old bike before its better to just get a full newer bike, even something 2 years old is massive ahead of something from 10 years ago.

 

[shane_3800]

Guess I'm out then by not fitting the Curly Bar or Lycra requirements
Still riding what most would consider kids bikes, I grew older, not up.

To answer Shanes original Q.
Look at the range across the 1x and 2x in terms of gear spread, keeping in mind if you have a 2x you wont actually use the whole rear casette so a 2x11 for example is more like a 2x7.
If it were me I'd be going a 1x setup for less moving parts with a wide range rear casette.
But you also need to consider how much you realisitically want to pump into an old bike before its better to just get a full newer bike, even something 2 years old is massive ahead of something from 10 years ago.

Im planning on buying new. I've been looking at Merida Silex bikes. The 200 has a sora 2x9 groupset for $1600 the 300 is a 1x11 SRAM for $1800 then for $2100 I can step up to a 400 which has a 2x11 105 groupset but you get hydraulic brakes with the 400 up.

I was also looking at a Malvern star chromoly heritage gravel bike for $2100 but it's meant to run a GRX groupset but it has a cheaper chainset just running GRX deraliers and levers.

Most other brands I've looked at want $2500-3k for a 105 group or GRX group. SRAM seem to always be cheaper but in my price range the SRAM groupset comes with cable brakes.

 

[shane_3800]

This is the old model Malvern Star running 105 instead of GRX.

https://cyclesgalleria.com.au/products/malvern-star-oppy-s2?variant=35940244947093